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Dr. Madhuri Pejaver, Convener Women's Science Congress presenting a memento

Women Empowerment- Objectives

Economic
Poverty Alleviation, Financial Inclusion, Self Employment &
Entrepreneurship development
Social
Sustainable livelihood, catalyze development
Psychological
Self confidence and motivation
Political
Role in governance and decision making
Spiritual
Self realization and equanimity in tough times

Why Women Empowerment?

Women constitute 50.4% global population
48.27% of Indian population are women
This vital segment in rural, semi urban and urban areas can
fuel growth in economies of the world
Women will empower families, reduce poverty leading to
financial inclusion, better health and education of themselves
and their families
Women empowerment will add to the GDP

Micro Finance-Evolving Model

India has no single micro finance model. It has to be adapted to the
local context and needs.
Success stories indicate effective delivery of microfinance and
support services to fisherwomen
Insights for future
Self Help Groups
Bank linkage program
Technology training backed by credit
Microcredit for women
Linkages- Banks, NGOs and Govt. departments

NABARDs national success story

1. Kerala - 3,30,000 fishers spread over 222 costal villages.
21000 SHGs have freed people from money lenders
Womens Initiative Network(WIN) project (1996)
348 SHGs involving 7000 women, revolved a thrift fund of
Rs.15.3 m. 3 times making Rs. 42 million available for
consumption with 100% repayment.
2. West Bengal - per capita fish consumption is 15.6 kg
compared to national average of 8 kg. Crab fattening & trading,
value added minced fishery products & ornamental fish
breeding & rearing are small but successful business stories

3. Maharashtra
Ranked 3rd in marine fish production on 720 km coastline, 6th
inland fish production in India.
Innovative fish marketing by fisherwomens co-operatives have
reduced their exploitation by intermediaries
Transport fish marketing by cooperative society near Ratnagiri
has purchased 2 trucks & 2 buses with micro credit and has
evolved its own transport system. Loading, unloading, pick ups
and drops to different markets is now organized.

4. Tamil Nadu
SHG - a tool to improve standard of living of women members
and the whole community
Fish Marketing- SHG, NGO and Bank model
20 members had Rs. 80,000, took loans of same amount for
fish marketing, repayment is 100%.
Advantages: up-scaling fish trade, freedom from money
lenders, internal borrowings for lean trade season for income
generating activities like milk vending, rice trading & petty
trade.

5. Andhra Pradesh
Ranks 6th in Marine Fishing on 974 km
Srikakulam has 1000 fisherwomens groups, 14000 members
engaged in fish marketing, drying and salting. 500 groups
linked with bank finance with cumulative loan of about Rs. 8 m.
They scale up in second loan cycle which they use for ice
boxes, mini vans for fish transport and other facilities
A multiplier effect of these success stories can empower
women in many ways.

SHG - Karnatakas Stree Shakti

Stree Shakti has been the states shining success story for
empowering poor women and reviving rural economy.
Karnataka has 1,40,000 Stree Shakti Sanghs
They have saved Rs. 1,553 crore in banks
Nationalized banks have given Rs. 2, 563 crore as loan to
these womens groups for agriculture, handicrafts,
manufacture, dairy farming and local schemes.
Entrepreneurship has led to growth and empowerment of
women

Womens Co-operatives
Shri Mahila Griha Udyog ltd.- Lijjat Papad established in
1959 with a capital of Rs. 80 by four women on a terrace is
today over 6.50 billion with 290 m. in exports, 42000
employees, 67 branches and 35 divisions in India.
Self Employed Womens Association (SEWA) established in
1974 by Ela Bhatt as a trade union has 448,434 members is
supported by World Bank and is linked with Womens World
Banking.
Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank is a largest microfinance
regulated co-operative bank in Maharshtra with 1,85000 and
also a Business School

Inclusion & Entrepreneuship

Entrepreneurs create wealth and employment
Conducive eco-system can drive economic growth.
Women own or operate 25 to 33% of all private businesses in the
world. (World Bank)
India has 3,21000 registered and 2.69 million unregistered
women-owned MSMEs. Women owned enterprises contribute
3.09% of industrial output and employ over 8 million people
according to International Finance Corporation (IFC- 2014)
Women entrepreneurs need to multiply for national growth

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Women face barriers

Women owned businesses are concentrated in small low
growth ventures. The total financial requirement of women
owned SMEs was Rs. 8.68 trillion and supply of finance was
Rs. 2.31 million leaving a gap of Rs. 6.37 trillion. (IFC 2014)
Microfinance is the need
Barriers
Lack of education
Limited access to markets
Technology networks
Patriarchal society
Lack of mobility and gender stereo-types

International organisations
United Nations Organization- UNO
UNDP focuses on gender equality & women empowerment as
a pathway to Millennium Development Goals & sustainable
development
UN Women is the entity for gender equality and empowerment
of women.
ILO has a gender equality and diversity branch, it also runs a
helpdesk for women
UN arms work for women empowerment in developing and
developed countries across the globe

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Integrated Model - Inclusion & Entrepreneurship

Finance
Micro finance including savings, credit, insurance
Financial Inclusion
Marketing support
Opportunity identification, support for business development
Science and technology
Literacy, education
Digital and e commerce training
Linkages
Self Help Groups, (SHG) s NGOs , Government &
institutional mechanisms
Monitoring, Measuring & Improvement mechanisms
Mapping women- urban semi urban, rural, geographies,
economic sections, demographic profiles and tracking

Policy framework for Women Empowerment

Ministries of Science & Technology, Women and Child
Development,
Banks - National and Private
NGOs, SHGs and Market Development agencies to drive the
women empowerment policy framework that can be fine- tuned
in a phased manner during execution
An integrated approach offering micro finance, marketing,
technology and entrepreneurial support can be rolled out pan
India.

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Prime Ministers vision statement

Science & technology for human development Digital village
Akodra - empowering villages
Mobile and internet penetration for ease of business. Mpesa,
Kan Khajua Tesan
100,000 Swachh Bharat cleaning and waste management
entrepreneurs to be encouraged by Banks, women can take
advantage
Jan Dhan Yojana for financial inclusion
Skill development and capacity building for employment and
micro enterprise building

Together we can be the change

Both Goddess Saraswati and Lakshmi that are embodiments
of knowledge and wealth are women
Setting up mechanisms to empower women economically,
socially, psychologically, politically and spiritually will empower
societies and nations of the world
Micro finance is just one dimension of the integrated approach
to inclusion and empowerment
Women need to play a pivotal role in the nations development
agenda

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Dr. Vaijayanti Pandit - Some highlights of her professional journey

UN Assignments
1992 - Was commissioned by ILO Geneva for a project on Integrating
Women in Economic and Social Development. This project was on
empowering women through the Employers' Organizations and
Chambers of Commerce from the East, West, South and North of India.
1993 - Was invited by ILO for a fellowship to Geneva to set up a database
of women entrepreneurs in India
1994 - Invited to present a paper at ILO's inter country meeting in Chiang
Mai Thailand on Women, Population and Development
1994 - 1997 - Was ILO's National co-ordinator for projects on
Mainstreaming women
1997 - 1998 - Authored a chapter on Employers' Perspectives on Women
Workers Rights in ILO's manual on Women Workers Rights
Positions Held
Senior Director, FICCI West 2006 - 12
Secretary, Indian Merchants' Chamber, instrumental in establishing one of
the largest Women's Wing in a Chamber of Commerce 1982 - 2006
Education
Dr. Vaijayanti Pandit, Masters in Political Science, topped the University of
Pune for graduation, has Ph. D in Entrepreneurship Management from
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies. (JBIMS) 2001
Author
Business@Home published by Vikas Publication in 2002, profiles 45
successful women entrepreneurs.
Ford Foundation Project on Professionalizing Police 2005, multi country
project.
Everyday Yoga by Silver leaf an imprint of Himalaya Publishing House in
2011, available on Amazon.com
Widely travelled to 35 countries for trade and business missions and buyer
seller meets
Currently devoted to the Education sector

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Resource Person
Dr. Vaijayanti Pandit
Gender & Women Entrepreneurship Specialist
Sr. Vice President, Jaro Education, Advisor We School
email : drvpandit@jaro.in | vaijayanti.pandit@welingkar.org
Mob : +91 9821089539